What the treaty sets out are basically the regulations of how countries can mind the effects that their usage of border-crossing rivers have on other countries' usage. So, if a country wanted to build a dam on a river that flows into a neighboring country, it would have to notify that other country of the effects this project would have. Similarly, it would prevent one country from dumping pollutants in a river that would then be dumped into the country where the river ends.

This seems to make sense to me. And if a country found it onerous to have to consult with a river-sharing neighbor about a certain project, that seems to be only more reason to need to have a mechanism to deal with these kinds of disputes. Maybe if we could ratify the Law of the Sea here in the United States, we could make some progress on rivers, too...

Forget the "prophet of doom." Gideon Rachman suggests that a short story about goat prices in Somalia could have been the best predictor of the economic meltdown. And to his question of who could play the goat in the movie -- might I suggest Betty, the erstwhile companion of jailed former Congolese warlord Laurent Nkunda?

Reuben Brigety and Sabina Dewan of the Center for American Progress have authored a new report proposing a "National Strategy for Global Development" to go along with the customary National Security Strategy. The report urges using the Millennium Development Goals as the basis for the United States' development strategy -- now that's progress I can believe in.

The Wall Street Journalmakes the supremely trenchant point that Cuba -- Cuba! -- is on the Human Rights Council. Well, sheesh, somebody should have just told the Obama Administration before they joined the Council. There's no telling how American presence could help improve the body...

Mark rightfully expressed dismay last month when the Israeli government signaled that it would not cooperate with a UN investigation into alleged crimes (on both sides) during the December 2008-January 2009 Operation Cast Lead, even though the mission was to be lead by a respected jurist, Richard Goldstone, on whom any claim of anti-Israel or anti-Semitic bias would, by all accounts, fall objectively flat. Israel's position hasn't changed, but Goldstone's team is saying that they will be moving forward with the investigation, even with the regrettable non-participation of the Israeli government.

This is obviously not the ideal situation, because Goldstone's inquiry is not a confrontational one. There are two entrances to Gaza, but the appearance of going through Egypt is likely even less palatable to the investigation's critics than the notion of the investigation itself. This is what makes Israel's stubborn refusal to cooperate so wrong-headed: the mission was supposed to travel to Israeli towns to investigate Palestinian rocket fire, but will be unable to do so if it is not allowed into Israel. The Israeli government has a legitimate interest in not wanting the investigation to be or appear one-sided; but the best way to ensure that would have been to work with the investigators, not make their job more difficult and create a self-fulfilling prophecy of bias in the process.

Russia Today bemusedly reports something on which "Russia and Georgia have found themselves in rare agreement" -- a UN report on the security status in the disputed region of Abkhazia. The report recommends such outlandish steps as securing a ceasefire zone and calling for the UN's 129 unarmed military observers to monitor peace and stability.

My somewhat insouciant conclusion: if both Russia and Georgia think a UN report on something as contentious as Abkhazia is biased, well, then it pretty much must be fair.

Madam Secretary passes on a text message-based appeal made by Secretary Clinton yesterday to help raise emergency humanitarian relief funds for displaced persons in Pakistan's embattled Swat Valley: text "swat" to 20222 to provide a $5 donation to the UN refugee agency's life-saving work in the region. You can also provide your support directly through UNHCR.

Ban Ki Moon will visit Sri Lanka later this week and the Secretary General had this to say in advance of the trip.

"The task now facing the people of Sri Lanka is immense and requires all hands," he said, stressing the need for progress in three critical areas: immediate humanitarian relief; reintegration and reconstruction; and a sustainable and equitable political solution.

The task now facing the people of Sri Lanka is immense and requires all hands

Progress on all three of these fronts must move forward in parallel - and it must begin now, he stated.

Mr. Ban's Chief of Staff, Vijay Nambiar, is currently in the country and is engaged with relevant parties on how best to respond to the humanitarian situation of the large number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and initiate a process for early recovery and long-term reconciliation, rehabilitation and reconstruction.

I'll judge the trip a success if the outcome includes opening the internment camps to international aid agencies and the media.